Just when I've gotten used to getting my La Pa fix anytime I wanted in downtown Bozeman, they're going to CLOSE that location. HOWEVER, read on for their exciting plans.

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According to a release sent out by Pete Strom:

1. Downtown store moving back in with parents  [what the?]

2. Free delivery and Online ordering  [Sweeeeet!]

3. La Pa Free Love & Loyalty  [What, is this a key party?]

Hello La Pa friends and family we wanted to give you an update on our little Downtown experiment and tell you about two new additions to make your life easier.  Below you'll find the quick summary, and in an effort to be transparent, the details (if you have the attention span)

Summary: What's Changing?

1. BYE FOR NOW:  We've concluded Bozeman CAN support a second La Pa location (details below for those interested), however we don't think this particular downtown location is best for us. We feel we can be more effective and efficient with one location on Babcock in the short run, and wait for one of several ideal locations that we have been eyeing for when the time is right.

2. FREE DELIVERY & ONLINE ORDERING;  We have gained many new regulars in the downtown area, and we plan to service you all with fast, convenient, Free delivery through online, and call-in ordering! Launching soon, stay tuned for details.

3. LA PA FREE LOVE:  In order to better serve and reward you, our close supporters, we have created a La Pa love & loyalty card just for you. No more worries about losing that punch card, we have you covered.  You'll get plenty of fun free stuff, member only deals, gifts on your birthday, points for eating here and at partner restaurants, and believe it or not, members are guaranteed* to look 15 years younger (*results may vary).  If you pre-join downtown before we move back to Babcock you'll get an instant $1 off your burrito and another $8 of love when your "free love" card arrives, Plus we will provide the secret* to eternal happiness (*may or may not result in eternal happiness). Sign up downtown this week.   Online sign up will be available next week.

Your appreciation of La Parrilla keeps us inspired! Please come and celebrate the last 2 weeks of La Pa downtown with us. Saturday the 18th will be our last day there.

Thanks for your continued love and support,

Your loyal La Pa Crew.

 

Details: A Downtown Experiment We Couldn't Pass Up.

An opportunity came available downtown last summer to test the depth of the market for La Parrilla for fraction of the cost of a new location.  We saw this as a low risk (relative to the restaurant business) chance to learn a few things, test out some assumptions, and better prepare ourselves for additional opportunities.

What we Learned:

  • Overall performance of Downtown met, but didn't exceed our expectations.
  • Late night business was not as strong as expected, had a higher costs than expected, and took a big toll on staff morale.
  • As much as we enjoyed the staff at Bar IX, at times our shared space with a different culture and clientele changed our restaurant atmosphere, impacting the experience and expectations of some of our guests and staff.
  • The nature of the shared space also made typical controls on inventory impossible and we found food and supply costs running significantly higher than our other location.
  • Being downtown connected us to wonderful new people that would not regularly make their way over to the Babcock location.  We'll see you all on our delivery runs.
  • Finally, For the last 9 months we have been preparing to share the La Pa experience with other communities.  In the past, we have turned down requests by operators from other cities because we wanted to make sure we had top notch training systems, operational specs and support teams ready to ensure their success.  We felt going through this test start up experience was critical to providing this service and support to prospective partners, and we were able to fine tune many elements -- much of it because of your feedback.  Thank you.

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